open.spotify.com/episode/4Vop... As someone who only watches very occasional television, I found @dkthomp.bsky.social's latest Plain English ep incredibly alienating.🤔 I usually only watch TV when I eat which means I usually watch in 10min increments. Takes me ~3-5 days to watch an ep of anything.

My family's been Verizon Wireless customers for over 21 years. My dad had used Verizon and started our family on VZW's family plan decades ago. Yesterday, I spent over two hours w/ customer service trying to restore my number to my SIM. (And another hour+ before that at the store.) Everyone I spoke

Oh wow - the @bsky.app is not doing so hot in the Google Play Store 😬. 1.6 stars... IME, the app's not this bad, fwiw. (I also believe in the bsky mission so, to a degree, I'm willing to extend them some grace.) That said, there's a bug driving me insane: when I @ mention someone in the Android

@morganhousel.bsky.social on @dkthomp.bsky.social's Plain English: Buffett: "Some people just get it automatically. You don't have to teach them anything about money or investment. They just get it intuitively." Munger is even more fatalistic about it: "When you're teaching money matters to young

@morganhousel.bsky.social: "All behavior makes sense w/ enough information." Housel also cites Munger on money: "Ppl are just wired very differently. There's not much we can do about it." Some young ppl immediately understand $ as soon as it's explained to them but some never do. It's fatalistic.

One challenge with words is that they mean different things to different ppl. Words only have a single dictionary definition but ppl understandably think about different meanings for the same word. eg. For the word, "honor", I specifically think of seppuku. ie. there are fates far worse than death.

Currently contemplating a new side project targeting child-free adults: I've been reflecting a ton recently & I think one big motivation to have kids is to have "automatic mini-quest generation". If I were to ever have kids, I know my entire worldview would irreversibly shift. Rn, I essentially just

open.spotify.com/episode/0mQ7... WSJ: "Some analysts say audiences are permanently shifting from Hollywood to YouTube and social media." Looks like the guild strikes in 2023 really did a ton of damage - they forced studios into unavoidable downtime and allowed them to rethink the entire model.

i'm looking for a new job

I read Lauren Hillenbrand's "Unbroken" over a decade ago and one fact has stuck with me: In WWII, the Japanese held approximately 350,000 prisoners, while Western Allied and Chinese forces captured around 38,000 Japanese soldiers. This means the Japanese held roughly a 9:1 ratio of prisoners."

背水一戰 I have a special place in my heart for lit majors. S is a Chinese Literature Major (there weren't any jobs in Taiwan for Chinese lit majors either! 😅) which is probably why we even initially got along. One thing I love ab 中文 are its idioms. They're always four words and represent entire ideas

www.theguardian.com/business/201... Occasionally, I'll think ab Erin Callan. I obviously didn't know her personally but her whole story is an incredible cautionary tale of "leaning in" too far, esp when you're unqualified for the role. Nothing wrong with ambition but don't get in over your skis.

I have a Q for all bsky ppl - can anyone help with this? ( @danabra.mov - I'm tagging you bc you're the only person on the bsky team who I know can see my posts! I'm on a bunch of lists for some reason that block me). But what does it mean if I see I have a reply but I can't see it? I've opened this

I ❤️ public libraries! I believe you can tell a ton ab a town by its 圖書館. The way it treats its library is a reflection of its values. Is the 圖書館 a dilapidated building or a monument to knowledge+learning? I'm gonna start sharing every single library I visit!📚 Yesterday: Westerville 圖書館, Ohio #圖書館

Hi @jdahl.bsky.social! Big fan of Dialectic! I was listening to your latest ep w/ Chris Sacca & noticed there is no "transcript" option on the podcast ep tho? I think it's because there is video in the podcast? Even when I toggle the "audio-only" mode though, I still don't see a "transcript" option.

Some friends asked for my 2c on Mamdani's victory on Tue. I feel it's great! Clearly the ppl have spoken. On a personal level, my values are very different than what he's proposing but I believe in democracy - the ppl have spoken! I think the forces that animated Brexit+Trump are also what propelled

David Sacks on @a16z.bsky.social: 'Colorado, Illinois, and California have all passed legislation banning "algorithmic discrimination". ie. If algorithms disparately impact a protected class, that is illegal.' Can someone please help me understand this better? eg. Does that mean if I ask ChatGPT,

@a16z.bsky.social this morning: "Ronald Regan had a line about this, which is: 'If it moves, tax it; if it keeps moving, regulate it; if it stops moving, subsidize it.' "The Europeans are definitely at the 'subsidize it' stage."

@planetmoney.bsky.social: Oregon needs to get its "error rate" for SNAP down to <6% or they'll owe $250m/yr. Historically, the federal gov paid the entire tab for SNAP. But the BBB implements a new rule to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. OR's current error rate for SNAP is 14.06% as of FY 2024.

Watched Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc w/ the crew last week and it was phenomenal. (I'd characterize it as primarily a love story w/ some great action thrown in! Definitely wasn't expecting that!) I didn't know anything ab Chainsaw Man but we've been on an anime binge recently and, man, I gotta hand it to

Today, I encourage everyone to attempt something difficult. Something big. Something grandiose. Start just with a small measurable chunk, but then just work at it. For me, it was getting 25k steps in each and every day for an entire year. This translates to over 3hrs of walking a day. Set your sight

From @nytimes.com's The Daily this morning: By 2033, 75% of Amazon's operations will be fully automated. They have also already put into motion to stop hiring 500,000 humans immediately. Amazon is the second largest employer in the US. Where Amazon goes, the rest of the world (eg. Walmart) follows.

@ayesharascoe.bsky.social dropping truth bombs on the pending global population collapse on @npr.org this morning! 🙂 Ayesha Rascoe: "One thing you think about, it's like, is this really a problem? "Okay, well, eventually maybe nothing will be left, but maybe that's what the Lord intended."

Walked around the Dublin Community Recreation Center Dublin, Ohio today. It was super-nice! There are houses that abut the park. S & I walked around for ~90 minutes today and the weather was gorgeous. I really love driving up to Columbus though. I find its vibe very different - feels more affluent!!

Friday - October 31, 2025 You see, gentlemen, reason is an excellent thing, there’s no disputing that, but reason is nothing but reason and satisfies only the rational side of man’s nature, while will is a manifestation of the whole life... Notes from Underground (1864) - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Kudos to @cincylibrary.bsky.social - I love how bibliocommons.com shows me if there are ppl waiting for a book I've currently borrowed. I'm the kinda person who simultaneously borrows multiple books 🫣 so knowing if someone's waiting for a specific title definitely guides what I finish first! 🔥 UX!!👍

Thursday - October 30, 2025 “It’s the Halley Concerto,” he answered, smiling. “Which one?” “The Fifth.” She let a moment pass, before she said slowly and very carefully, “Richard Halley wrote only four concertos.” Atlas Shrugged (1957) - Ayn Rand

To clear 25k steps a day, last week I started a daily gym routine. It took a bit of experimenting but I've finally (I think) settled on a routine: I hit the gym 3x a day: morning, afternoon, evening. In the mornings+evenings, I walk ~1hr. In afternoons I walk ~40min during my lunch break. I have

I got new shoes though bc at the office every year, we have a three-month competition called the "Summer Shred Challenge". (It used to be a step challenge but then they expanded it to "shreds" bc not all ppl walk. There is a (IMHO) suspect "activity conversion chart" going from "steps ➡️ shreds".

When I was a kid, there were just Nike/Adidas/NB shoes. S & I bought new shoes last weekend and now suddenly there are all these shoes called On and Hoka?? 🤔 S got a pair of each (in black+white)+I got a pair of Hoka Bondi 9 shoes which ChatGPT recommended for walking. They come in "wide" versions!

spotify.link/tIxihG7CRXb Loved listening to this Tech Dirt ep from @mmasnick.bsky.social this morning where he spoke w/ Catherine Bracy. VCs are not to blame. Limited Partners are (the people who fund VCs). VCs are just the middlemen. Instead of always going for homers, try for singles+doubles.

Wed-Oct 29, 2025 Three months after Sandy passed, Steve Cain sold the house and moved to Arizona with a smile as wide as Interstate 10 plastered on his skull. Old Man’s War (2005) - @scalzi.com

Tue-Oct 28, 2025 …and scattered around it—near-misses—I see a dozen identical red T-shirts. “That was my theory,” I say. “Yeah,” Kat says, “I decided I didn’t want to waste brain cycles” —she yawns— “figuring out what to wear every morning.” Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore (2012) - Robin Sloan

Mon-Oct 27, 2025 I want to argue... everything she tells me is to build this marketing image, but I can’t resist it. I know Coke is one part faintly repulsive black syrup, seven parts water and forty-two pars marketing, but I still drink it. Perception is reality. Syrup (1999) - @maxbarry.com

open.substack.com/pub/robertli... Part II of random conversations with friendly strangers about Antimemetics on Substack Live! 😀 This one wanders all over!! COVID lab leak, anime in France, and how -despite good intentions- (IMHO) Chris Best+the entire Substack enterprise is destroying culture.

Sun-Oct 26, 2025 “What I do, which you call ‘word voodoo,’ is I bribe the committee... With me so far?” “Yes.” “All right. What’s in Broken Hill is a bareword. A bareword, in this analogy, is me getting out my chainsaw and cutting down the tree.” Lexicon (2013) - @maxbarry.com

open.substack.com/pub/robertli... Really enjoyed talking w/ @codenprose.bsky.social + @createchtivity.bsky.social ab Antimemetics!🥳 Specifically, I loved Dan talking ab how many of social media's big accounts are largely just big organized cabals who have already all coordinated offline! So true!!

Hi @ma.tt! QQ: I love @pocketcasts.com and pay for it but noticed that when I click on parts of the transcript, it doesn't jump me to the relevant section of audio like it does in Spotify. Are you releasing this feature soon? TY! Keep up the great work!!

Sat-Oct 25, 2025 “That, precisely, is the deadliness of second-handers. They have no concern for facts, ideas, work. They’re concerned only with people. They don’t ask: ‘Is this true?’ They ask: ‘Is this what others think is true?’ Not to judge, but to repeat.” The Fountainhead (1943) - Ayn Rand

spotify.link/PlfuIWDTIXb @jack.bsky.social: "Any public company is for sale to the highest bidder. That is the fiduciary responsibility of the board to return to shareholders that by law. So if they get a crazy offer, any public company, they must take it. They must. It doesn't matter who it is."

Fri-Oct 24, 2025 “The creators were not selfless. It is the whole secret of their power-that it was self-sufficient, self-motivated, self-generated. A first cause, a fount of energy, a life force, a Prime Mover." The Fountainhead (1943) - Ayn Rand

spotify.link/ObXRjDe8HXb @jack.bsky.social retweeted the Russian troll, Crystal Johnson, 18x. Love revolution.social from @rabble.nz! Love the deep dives with the ppl who are actually in the trenches!! (Big thanks to @mmasnick.bsky.social at Tech Dirt! That's how I discovered the pod yesterday!🙏)

Thu-Oct 23, 2025 “All I want, Strike,” said Bristow hoarsely, the color high in his… face, “is justice.” He might have struck a divine tuning fork; the word rang thru the shabby office, calling forth an inaudible but plangent note in Strike’s breast. The Cuckoo’s Calling (2013) - Robert Galbraith

Had a positively delightful conversation w/ @samwho.dev today! TY so much for graciously making time!!🙏 Learned all ab @ngrok.com (lot's changed since I last used it!) and also got up to speed a bit on all the current latest+greatest tooling. Definitely book time w/ Sam; 💯 recommend! #buildinpublic

Wed-Oct 22, 2025 “All I’m saying,” Dieter said… “is that quote on the lead caravan would be way more profound if we hadn’t lifted it from Star Trek.” Survival is insufficient: Kirsten had had these words tattooed on her left forearm at the age of 15. Station Eleven (2014) - Emily St. John Mandel

Tue-Oct 21, 2025 When she looks over at me looking over at her, I smile. She smiles back and I fall briefly, passionately in love with her… Options. I want very badly to be in love again, which is why I’m in no position to look for it. This is Where I Leave You (2009) - Jonathan Tropper

Mon-Oct 20, 2025 ‘I have noticed your father’s nose… and I am afraid I observed clearly a large drop on the end of his nose dangling over the soup bowls. I would not have thought such a style of waiting a great stimulant to appetite.’ (pg. 59-60) The Remains of the Day (1988) - Kazuo Ishiguro

Details would matter, but spiritually/directionally, I support this! UBI based not on need, but based on merit+value added to society (as measured by some metric, still TBD). I support this+am excited to see governments around the world experimenting with new structures as we move into the AI age.👏

Sunday - October 19, 2025 Resolved not to waste further time on account of this childish affair, I contemplated departure via the french windows. (pg. 58) The Remains of the Day (1988) - Kazuo Ishiguro

Sat-Oct 18, 2025 “He is an amateur & international affairs today are no longer for gentlemen amateurs… So much hog-wash has been spoken here these past two days. Well-meaning, naïve hog-wash. You here in Europe need professionals to run your affairs.” The Remains of the Day (1988) - Kazuo Ishiguro